AFC North Power Rankings after Week 12: Bengals might need to get used to cellar

1) Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens continue to reign supreme in the AFC North Power Rankings. They are also perched atop the AFC Conference with a half-game lead over Kansas City, Jacksonville, and Miami.

Baltimore handled the Los Angeles Chargers 20-10. The Ravens offense featured a rushing attack that outpaced their passing game, 197 to 164. Their vaunted defense held the Chargers to three points most of the game before giving up a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Now, the Ravens have their bye week. While their eye will be on the rest of the division, most of their attention will be spent watching Kansas City, Jacksonville, and Miami.

Much to the rest of the AFC North’s dismay, the Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are an afterthought for Baltimore. The only divisional game left for the Ravens comes when they face the Steelers on the last weekend of the regular season.

If any of the other three teams in the division wish to be crowned Kings of the North, they must enlist the help of the Rams, Jaguars, Niners, and Dolphins. If aid does not come, the Ravens will own the mantle of division champions for the first time since the 2019 season.

Unfortunately, this week's AFC North Power rankings mimic those of the past few weeks. Looking forward, a couple of questions remain. Can the Steelers or Browns catch the Ravens? Also, how many teams will make the playoffs from the AFC North?

For Cincinnati, there is still room to hope that the coaches and players can stack a win at a time and find themselves in the hunt for one of the wildcard slots. Even though it may feel like it, the season is not over, and there is still time for another story to be written.